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Constructs
Overview Constructs are made, not born. Some are programmed by their creators to'follow a simple set of instructions, while others are imbued with sentience and capable of independent thought. Golems are the iconic constructs. Many creatures native to the outer plane of Mechanus, such as modrons, are constructs shaped from the raw material of the plane by the will of more powerful creatures Lore Beyond the unopenable doors lay a grand hall ending before a towering stone throne, upon which sat an iron statue taller and wider than two men. In one hand it clutched an iron sword, in the other, a feather whip. We should have turned back then." —Mordenkainen the Archmage, chronicling his party’s harrowing exploits in the dungeons below Maure Castle Golems Golems are made from humble materials—clay, flesh and bones, iron, or stone—but they possess astonishing power and durability. A golem has no ambitions, needs no sustenance, feels no pain, and knows no remorse. An unstoppable juggernaut, it exists to follow its creator’s orders, and it protects or attacks as that creator demands. To create a golem, one requires a manual of golems (see the Dungeon Master’s Guide). The comprehensive illustrations and instructions in a manual detail the process for creating a golem of a particular type. Elemental Spirit in Material Form. The construction of a golem begins with the building of its body, requiring great command of the craft of sculpting, stonecutting, ironworking, or surgery. Sometimes a golem’s creator is the master of the art, but often the individual who desires a golem must enlist master artisans to do the work. After constructing the body from clay, flesh, iron, or stone, the golem’s creator infuses it with a spirit from the Elemental Plane of Earth. This tiny spark of life has no memory, personality, or history. It is simply the impetus to move and obey. This process binds the spirit to the artificial body and subjects it to the will of the golem’s creator. Ageless Guardians. Golems can guard sacred sites, tombs, and treasure vaults long after the deaths of their creators, carrying out their appointed tasks for all eternity while brushing off physical damage and ignoring all but the most potent spells. A golems can be created with a special amulet or other item that allows the possessor of the item to control the golem. Golems whose creators are long dead can thus be harnessed to serve a new master. Blind Obedience. When its creator or possessor is on hand to command it, a golem performs flawlessly. If the golem is left without instructions or is incapacitated, it continues to follow its last orders to the best of its ability. When it can’t fulfill its orders, a golem might react violently—or stand and do nothing. A golem that has been given conflicting orders sometimes alternates between them. A golem can’t think or act for itself. Though it understands its commands perfectly, it has no grasp of language beyond that understanding, and can’t be reasoned with or tricked with words. Constructed Nature. A golem doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep. Modrons “Every 289 years, the entire multiverse goes mad. Like clockwork.” —Kwint Stormbellow, Rock Gnome adventurer Modrons are beings of absolute law that adhere to a hive-like hierarchy. They inhabit the plane of Mechanus and tend its eternally revolving gears, their existence a clockwork routine of perfect order. Absolute Law and Order. Under the direction of their leader, Primus, modrons increase order in the multiverse in accordance with laws beyond the comprehension of mortal minds. Their own minds are networked in a hierarchal pyramid, in which each modron receives commands from superiors and delegates orders to underlings. A modron carries out commands with total obedience, utmost efficiency, and an absence of morality or ego. Modrons have no sense of self beyond what is necessary to fulfill their duties. They exist as a unified collective, divided by ranks, yet they always refer to themselves collectively. To a modron, there is no “I,” but only “we” or “us.” Absolute Hierarchy. Modrons communicate only with their own rank and the ranks immediately above and below them. Modrons more than one rank away are either too advanced or too simple to understand. Cogs of The Great Machine. If a modron is destroyed, its remains Disintegrate. A replacement from the next lowest rank then transforms in a flash of light, gaining the physical form of its new rank. The promoted modron is replaced by one of its underlings in the same manner, all the way to the lowest levels of the hierarchy. There, a new modron is created by Primus, with a steady stream of monodrones leaving the Great Modron Cathedral on Mechanus as a result. The Great Modron March. When the gears of Mechanus complete seventeen cycles once every 289 years, Primus sends a vast army of modrons across the Outer Planes, ostensibly on a reconnaissance mission. The march is long and dangerous, and only a small number of modrons returns to Mechanus. Sub Types * Clockworks * Soul Stone Golem Monsters Animated Armor Duodrone Cadaver Collector Clay Golem Flesh Golem Flying Sword Helmed Horror Hellfire Engine Homunculus Iron Golem Marut Monodrone Pentadrone Quadrone Retriever Rug of Smothering Scarecrow Shield Guardian Steel Predator Stone Cursed Tridrone Category:Monster Category:Lore Category:Construct